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Whoda Thunk It?: Children’s Bounce Houses Contain Dangerous Lead Levels

August 14, 2010

They’re a staple of toddler’s birthday parties, children’s holiday parties and other seemingly carefree events. Your children take off their footwear and climb into the inflated bounce house and you’re free from worry (and perhaps bother) for a few minutes. Or are you? If the allegations in California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s lawsuit against several companies involved in manufacturing children’s bounce houses are correct, some of the inflatable structures contain unsafe amounts of lead in their vinyl covering. (more…)

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Pediatricians Urge The Extension of Choking Prevention Strategies from Toys to Food

February 23, 2010

When considering the risk of young children choking, thoughts tend to center more upon toys than upon food. But that can cause the risk of choking on food to be overlooked. Statistics currently on the website of the Centers for Disease Control state that in 2000, 160 children ages 14 years or younger died from an obstruction of the respiratory tract due to inhaled or ingested foreign bodies. Of these, 41% were caused by food items and 59% by nonfood objects. For every choking-related death, there are more than 100 visits to U.S. emergency departments. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), noting that many of the prevention strategies currently in place to prevent choking on toys have not yet been implemented to prevent choking on food, issued a policy statement yesterday (more…)

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Reports Difficulties Enforcing Reduced Lead Level Limits in Children’s Toys

February 11, 2010

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) directed the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to assess and report to the House and Senate enforcement efforts, difficulties encountered, as well as recommendations for improvement to the lower numerical level limits for lead content of children’s products the CPSIA established. The CPSC issued its report on January 15, 2010, noting that it has continued to find excessive lead levels in children’s toys and products. Most of the lead content violations were identified by screening children’s products at ports using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology. In these cases, the violative products were seized and never entered into the U.S. marketplace. (more…)

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U.S. PIRG Releases Its 2009 Report of Toy Hazards And Launches Interactive Smart Phone Tool and Website For Shoppers

December 9, 2009

The 2009 Trouble in Toyland report is the 24th annual Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards. This year’s report focused on three categories of toy hazards: toys that may pose choking hazards, toys that are excessively loud, and toys that contain the toxic chemicals lead and phthalates. This year’s report is interesting because it is the first year that any effect would be felt from The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), which greatly strengthened the clout of the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission (“CPSC”) to promulgate and enforce rules. Last year we wrote about toy hazards the CPSC identified for the holiday season. (more…)

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Protect Your Children from Exposure to Lead Resulting From Home Renovation, Repair, and Painting Activities

March 3, 2009

Home renovation, repair, and painting activities cause elevated blood lead levels in children – no doubt about it. A 1997 analysis conducted by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) indicated that home renovation, repair, and painting (RRP) activities were important sources of lead exposure among children with blood lead levels (BLLs) >20 µg/dL in New York state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report dated January 30, 2009 identified RRP activities as being the probable source of lead exposure in 139 (14%) of the 972 children in New York with BLLs of over 20 µg/dL. But importantly, the majority of offenders are resident owners or tenants as opposed to contractors. (more…)

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Court Rebuffs Attempt to Dilute New Childrens’ Products Safety Law

February 13, 2009

Last year was a record-setter when it came to recalls and warnings about dangerous children’s toys, especially lead paint laden toys imported from China. In response to the much-publicized controversy, Congress strengthened the Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972 (“CPSA”) to prohibit the sale and distribution of children’s toy or child care articles containing excessive levels of toxic substances beginning on February 10th, 2009. Almost incredibly, the agency charged with enforcing the CPSA, the General Counsel of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (the “Commission”), actually tried to weaken the enforcement of the law by issuing an advisory opinion letter that would have permitted the sale of toxic items after February 10, 2009, if the products were manufactured prior to that date. U.S. District Court Judge Paul G. Gardephe of the Southern District of New York would hear none of that in National Resources Defense Council, Inc. and Public Citizen, Inc. v. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, No. 08 Civ. 10507(PGG) Feb. 5, 2009. (more…)

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One in Three Children’s Toys Tested Found to have Significant Levels of Toxic Chemicals Including Lead, Flame Retardants, and Arsenic

December 14, 2008

The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, and partners across the country on December 3, 2008, released the 2nd annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys at www.HealthyToys.org. Researchers tested over 1,500 popular children’s toys for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC and other harmful chemicals in time for this year’s holiday shopping season. One in three toys tested were found to contain “medium” or “high” levels of chemicals of concern. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission last month announced that in 2008 toy recalls had dropped to 74 from 138 in 2007. Toy recalls in 2007 included toys containing lead paint, dangerous magnets and in one case, a chemical that left children temporarily comatose. (more…)

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CPSC Releases Its Toy Safety Tips For Holiday Shopping

November 17, 2008

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has its list for the holidays, that is its annual holiday safety messages. Parents and gift buyers are encouraged to check it twice. Released on November 12, 2008, CPSC, joined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Safe Kids Worldwide, reminded parents to be diligent when making holiday shopping choices.

For 2007, the Commission has reports of 18 toy-related deaths and CPSC staff estimates that there were about 170,100 hospital emergency-room treated toy-related injuries to children under 15. (more…)

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Recalls of Children’s Toys for Lead Paint Issues Fly Under the Radar In This Last Holiday Shopping Season Before Tough New Safety Standards for Toys Take Effect

November 15, 2008

Although the publicity was much greater last year, 45 children’s toys have been recalled due to lead paint issues so far this year. The toys include Casper the Friendly Ghost Halloween Figurines, xylophones, jewelry and classroom reading and math aids. But overall, toy recalls are down 46 percent from last year, it was announced at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)’s annual toy safety news conference this past week on November 12. According to the CPSC, toy recalls had dropped to 74 in 2008 from 138 in 2007. Toy recalls in 2007 included toys containing lead paint, dangerous magnets and in one case, a chemical that left children temporarily comatose. (more…)

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Proof of Dangers of Plastic Chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) Gets Stronger

November 7, 2008

In an earlier blog, we wrote about conflicting conclusions being drawn concerning the safety of bisphenol A, or BPA. The National Toxicology Program (NTP), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that BPA is of “some concern” - the midpoint of a five-level scale – for effects on development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children. In contrast, this past August the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that the small amounts of BPA that leach out of containers and into food or milk are not dangerous. But more recently a Food and Drug Administration advisory board voted to say that the agency ignored critical evidence suggesting that BPA could harm children. (more…)

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